Australia had its worst flu season in five years. What does it mean for Northeast Ohio?

Health officials in Northeast Ohio expect to see a more active flu season this year.

Flu season typically starts in October and ends March, but influenza levels have remained remarkably low over the past two winters. Experts say trends seen in the Southern Hemisphere could mean a harsher flu season for the United States.

"We anticipate a pretty active flu season this year," said Amanda Archer, public health information and innovation director at Canton City Public Health. "We've seen what Australia has gone through, and typically the Southern Hemisphere, when Australia goes through their flu season, there's a reverse of ours, and so we can see what's going on down there kind of as part of anticipating what's going to happen up here."

Australia's flu season lasts from April to October. This year's flu season was the worst it had been in five years, according to reports from the Australian Government's Department of Health and Aged Care.

Multiple factors contributed to Australia's aggressive flu season. Mask wearing, social distancing and other preventive measures taken to slow the spread of COVID-19 kept flu activity low at the height of the pandemic, but now these standards are more relaxed, and people have again started to gather at schools, events and businesses.

"There isn't anything going on other than individual human behavior that's going to restrict people from passing flu from one person to the other," Archer said. "So we anticipates that's just going to cause our numbers to go up."

The lack of flu activity over the last couple of years could also make people more susceptible.

"There potentially isn't as much immunity that we would see from people getting vaccinated every year and having that residual immunity from year to year," Archer said.

Megan Smith, a spokesperson for the Ohio Department of Health, said in an email that an active flu season in Ohio is a "very real" possibility.

Similarly, officials with Summit County Public Health and Tuscarawas County Health Department said they anticipate more active flu seasons this year than the previous two years.

"Some of the increase has to do with masking and social distancing guidelines relaxing and also the fact that people have been masking for the last couple years and have not been exposed to illnesses that would help facilitate a more robust immune system," said Marlene Martin, community liaison for the office of the health commissioner of Summit County.

Jennifer Demuth, director of health promotion and community relations at the Tuscarawas County Health Department said the colder weather will bring people indoors, where viruses like the flu and COVID-19 tend to spread more easily.

Low flu activity in recent years has been a relief for health officials, who feared a potential "twindemic" would overwhelm hospitals and health care workers.

Archer said this season will be one of the first where health care workers will have to deal with two respiratory viruses that have the potential to cause severe illness in certain populations.

"This is not something that we should take lightly," she said.

Prior to the pandemic, the flu itself had the ability to put a strain on hospitals, public health systems and schools.

How is flu season so far?

The U.S. is only a couple weeks into its flu season, but Stark County hasn't seen high flu activity yet.

Kay Conley, director of administration and support services at the Stark County Health Department, said in an email there hasn't been abnormal flu activity so far, but that the department only gets reports of hospitalized flu cases within its jurisdiction.

The Stark County Health Department covers 17 townships, 12 villages and the cities of Canal Fulton, Louisville and North Canton.

Randy Flint, commissioner for the City of Alliance Health Department, said the city has seen low flu activity this season, similar to the last two years. He said he hopes to see that trend continue, but nothing is certain.

"The only thing predictable about flu season is that it's unpredictable," Flint said.

Massillon's Health Commissioner Terri Argent also said flu activity has been low so far.

Flu activity is low in Canton, too.

"We've had some outpatient positives," Archer said. "So people who are sick enough to go to an outpatient clinic and get tested. We have not had any hospitalized influenza cases yet."

Archer said Canton City Public Health will be able to develop a better sense of how the flu season will play out once more cases start to occur.

The Ohio Department of Health reports seasonal flu activity every week beginning the first week of October and running through the middle of May. The latest report is from Oct. 2-8. It shows 20 cases across the state, including 12 in Central Ohio, one in Northeast, three in Northwest, two in West Central and two in Southwest.

No cases have been reported in East Central or Southeast.

What should I do to stay safe?

Officials recommend getting a flu shot sooner than later.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends anyone ages 6 months or older receive the annual flu vaccine, especially those at higher risk for developing serious flu complications. This includes people 65 and older, pregnant people and those with certain chronic health conditions like asthma and heart disease.

Health officials also recommend taking preventative steps such as hand washing, disinfecting surfaces that may be contaminated with viruses, covering coughs and sneezes and avoiding close contact with others if you are sick.

Where can I get my flu shot?

Flu vaccines are offered in many locations, including pharmacies, doctor's offices and health centers.

Canton City Public Health: 330-489-3322 (Review eligibility requirements on the agency's website to determine if you qualify to receive a flu shot at Canton City Public Health).

City of Alliance Health Department: 330-821-7373

City of Massillon Health Department: 330-830-1714

Stark County Health Department: 330-493-9928 ext. 2047

Summit County Public Health: 330-375-2772

Tuscarawas County Health Department: 330-343-5555 ext. 174 or 181

Reach Paige at 330-580-8577 or pmbennett@gannett.com, or on Twitter at @paigembenn.